Georgia in talks to spare 2 from execution in Malaysia

Georgia in talks to spare 2 from execution in Malaysia

TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia is to send a task group to Malaysia to study the situation regarding two Georgians sentenced to death for drug related crimes.

Babutsa Gordadze (26) and Darejan Kokhtashvili (37) were arrested in Malaysia in October 2010, accused of trafficking drugs worth three million dollars. The drugs were found in picture frames found in their baggage; however, the women claim they knew nothing about the drugs.

Malaysia uses the death penalty for the category of crime the two are sentenced for.

Today, Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalandadze said that a representative of the Consular Department of the Foreign Ministry and Prosecutor General’s Office will be in a special task group which will go to Malaysia to hold consultations, talk to the defense lawyer and obtain information about how real the hopes are regarding the Georgian citizens.

“Our main goal is to spare these people from the strictest punishment. The decision is fully in the hands of the Malaysian court, which is famous of a strict approach towards these kinds of crimes. We do our best to use all resources to avoid the strictest punishment. However, this issue is very difficult and not so easy to handle,” Nino Kalandadze said.